Flowering Baskets

A couple weeks ago Bill was tied up in a Saturday afternoon exam and my roommates were both working... leaving me to fill my day with just about whatever my little heart desired.  This turned into me being the biggest hot mess at the Home Depot.  And there are A LOT of people at the Home Depot on the west side.  My top secret mission for the day was to create some beautiful hanging baskets for Bill's front porch. 

Lots of flowers at the Depot.  including really pretty plastic buckets of pansies for about $3.99.  I guess they weren't good enough and I really wanted to make my own assortment, so I tracked down the friendly Home Depot associate to tell me which flowers were the best for hanging baskets, and how to make a hanging basket o' flowers.  She informed me that any flowers would do well.  The trick was to pick my favorites and plant them in a basket.  And then make sure they got water and sunshine.  

This sounded too easy.  

But I went for it anyway.  First Instinct: pick up everything pink and orange and take it home with me.  Second Instinct: Since sweet Bill is off working hard for the day, maybe I'll pick Ole Miss colors so he will smile when he gets home.  

Accidentally drop two six-packs of flower-lings in the middle of the Garden Center = Hot Mess

Pick, de-pick, pick new things, put back old things, pick new favorite flowers, sort through and finally make a selection.  

And then over to the side where I could pick out the planters.  Luckily we already had the extra soil left over from making the garden box.  No decision needed there.  

But once I got home, it wasn't too tricky just shoving everything together.  The process in pictures:

Step 1:
Set out the flowers (dianthus, petunia, little red and white ones, and silvery leaf ones)
Start the music

Step 2:
Fill the baskets half-full of dirt

Step 3:
Put in the flowers
Fill with additional dirt if necessary

Step 4:
Water
Hope they grow

Step 5:
Admire the fruits of my labor...

...Stare at the neighbors's tree.  Really pretty...

...And head inside for a shower and a Fat Tire